Gcse Biology: Ecology Flashcards
habitat
place that organisms lives in an ecosystem
population
all the organisms that live in a habitat
community
populations of different species living in a habitat
abiotic factors
non living factors of the environment
biotic factors
living factors of the environment
ecosystem
the interaction of a community of biotic organisms with the abiotic parts of the environment
competition in plants
fight for light and space, water and minerals from soil
competition in animals
fight for food, water territory, mates
effects of change in enviroinent
disrupts food webs and competition
structural adaptations
changes in a n organisms body structure
behavioral adaptations
changes to the way animals behave in response to a stimulus
functional adaptations
things that change within an animals body
food chains
show whats been eaten by what
populations of prey and predators
work in cycles
arrows in a food chain
arrow points from prey to predator
quadrats
1m^2 used to study life in a certain area
water cycle
evaporation + transpiration, condensation, precipitation
environmental change eg
availability of water, temperature change, atmospheric gases changing
carbon cycle
CO2 removed by plants to atmosphere - respiration, consumed in food chain, remains fed upon, waste is broken down, combustion
decompositon
microorganisms break down plant and animal matter
compost
decomposed organic matter
factors of rate of decay
temperature, oxygen availability, water availability, number of decay organisms
biogas
made by anaerobic decay
biodiversity
the variety of different species of organisms on the earth
growing population
producing more water + land + air waste, increasing demands on environment, running out of space
global warming
CO2 and methane trap heat energy form the sun, insulating and heating earth
consequences of global warming
rising sea levels, distribution and species changes within animals, temperature change obvs, migration and biodiversity changes
deforestaion
cutting down trees excessively
bogs
acidic and waterlogged land
deforestation consequences
less CO2 taken i, more CO2 in air, less biodiversity
trophic levels
the levels of the food chain
producers
starting point of the foodchain, make their own food w photosynthesis
primary consumers
herbivores that eat producers
secondary consumers
carnivores that eat primary consumers
tertiary consumers
carnivores that eat other carnivores/secondary consumers
decomposers
eat/decompose the remains of plants and animals
pyramids of biomass
show the ratio of animals and comparisons of populations
biomass transfer
mass transferred to a consumer from its food
efficiency
biomass transferred to the next level ÷ biomass available at previous level
fishing quota
amount of fish that can be legally caught to control over fishing
biotechnology
living organisms and biological processes are used and manipulated to produce a useful product
mycoprotein
food from fungi
engineered bacteria
produce insulin
abiotic factors list
TemperatureLight intensityOxygen levels for animals in waterCarbon dioxide levels for plantsMoisture levelsSoil pH and mineral content Wind intensity and direction
Biotic factors list
Food availabilityNew pathogens New predators competition between species
How can grazing affect plant species?
Little grazing allows a few plants to outcompete other species - as grazing increases biodiversity.
stable community
Biotic and abiotic factors are in balance so that population sizes remain fairly consistent.